Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Bullet Failure

No bullet works 100% one hundred percent of the time.

Now that's a Drank statement if ever there was one. Bovine Scatoria for sure.

Maybe yours don't, but in 35 years and a LOT of dead animals, I have never had a cast 520 grain Govt. bullet out of a 45 caliber Sharps do anything but give complete pass through penetration in a straight line. I have never had one tumble or blow up or otherwise fail in any way.

I'm just saying that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

While I have been on three safaris, I have never hunted dangerous game. A matter of money. However, a friend of mine used that cast round nosed bullet to shoot a cape buffalo with his 458 Win Mag. I loaded the ammo, and at 1350 fps velocity, the bullet blew through both shoulders and exited from 50 yards.

I have shot through and through both black and blue wildebeast, and shot through one black wildebeast from into his left rear ham to out his brisket. Lengthwise through about six feet of wildebeast. I have shot through and through two zebra and not recovered a bullet.

The rifle and load shoots all the way through elk and bison. The last bison I took weighed over 2000 pounds and the bullet exited through the off side shoulder. The animal dropped at the shot. The next day an acquaintance of mine shot another bison similar to mine with a 505 Gibbs, and did NOT get complete pass through penetration. That bison went over 400 yards before going down. If I can shoot through bison--and I have done it with six of them--I hardly see how it will be a problem to shoot through a lion. FWIW, my PH wanted me to go for cape buffalo and elephant with the Sharps, but I simply couldn't afford it. I am trying to put together a trip for cape buffalo right now, and I don't think I will be under gunned with the Sharps and cast lead bullets. After all, Selous used cast bullets to good effect.

Winchestermodel70, I see you're trying to equate a certain amount of experience with being an expert. I have no idea what your level of experience is, but I do know that after guiding loads of hunters over the past 10-11 years, many of the so called expert and experienced hunters we've had in camp are actually idiots who actually know about 25% of what they're talking about.

Winchester Model 70--Tell you what. If you want to spend some of that money that you apparently have plenty of to further your shooting education, do this. Spring for a DG Safari for both of us, and you can see the Sharps work with heavy cast bullets on the big boys. I'm in for my plane fare, you pick up the rest. Think about it.